U.S. NBA star Kobe Bryant met with a group of American high school students studying in China at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. During his remarks to the students, Bryant explained why he supports programs like After-School All-Stars, an American non-profit organization that provides comprehensive after-school programs to children in several U.S. cities, including study abroad opportunities. He told the students that his own experience living overseas as a child allowed him to experience and understand another culture and broaden his horizons beyond his American hometown. Bryant noted, “I just want our youth to have the same feelings I had growing up.”

In her introductory remarks, Consul General Beatrice Camp noted that "These All-Stars are just a few of the ever-growing number of American students traveling to China to gain a better understanding of this country and its people". She emphasized that the effort to significantly increase U.S. students to China is supported by the 100,000 Strong Initiative which was announced by President Obama and President Hu in 2009.

The eleven US students who met with Bryant study Mandarin and martial arts after school through the Los Angeles After-School All-Stars program supported by the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. They are in Shanghai as part of a 2-week study tour organized by the Chinese Ministry of Education and the UCLA Confucius Institute.

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